"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Imagine and Others in NJ

Imagine is trying to join in on the Zuckerberg/Booker/Christie ed reform festivities; it was practically a given that KIPP would seek to expand. From the NJ Spotlight:

NJ Charter Schools On the Fast Track to Approval

An expedited application and approval process is drawing out-of-state charter school networks to New Jersey

By Jacob Mooney, October 12th

As politicians trumpet them and philanthropists seem eager to help pay for them, New Jersey’s charter schools are about to draw a lot of new interest, including from private operators.

The state Department of Education is expected to receive a record number of applicants this week for its new fast-track approval process, said its spokesman, with at least three national networks jumping into the mix.

Among them would be the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), already an established veteran of Newark charter schools and looking for license to double its enrollment there. In addition, the Mastery Charter Schools out of Philadelphia and the multistate Imagine Schools are both expected to apply by this week’s expedited deadline, the spokesman said.